In this nocturnal scene travelers are viewed walking along the traditional, pine tree-lined path along the river bank towards the village ahead, under a huge full moon in a deep blue night sky. The last traveler in the group wears the white robes of a pilgrim and carrys a large Tengu mask on his back, the mark of a pilgrim going to the Shinto shrine of Kompira on Shikoku Island. Tengu are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore. They are one of the best known monster-spirits (yokai) and are sometimes worshipped as Shinto-revered spirits or gods (kami).
Numazu was the castle town of the daimyo of Numazu Domain. During its peak in the Edo period, it included over 1,200 buildings.